A Defense for Hope
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***Please turn to 1 Peter 3:13 this morning.
Recap
Recap
2 months in 1 Peter! 8th message, woohoo!
LAST WEEK, discussed “a GOOD LIFE”
more about WHO WE ARE, than what we have.
GRACE doesn’t fully overturn SOWING & REAPING
This morning: What WE DO W/ TRIALS...
**Peter WRITING to PERSECUTED BELIEVERS,
HOPE in the MIDST of TRIALS
& NOT of THIS WORLD.
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Read Text & Pray (v13-17)
Intro:
Intro:
(Q) Do you have hope?... Do you truly have hope while going through this life?
This TEXT TEACHES us to have a DEFENSE for the FAITH, or a REASON for our HOPE…
Contend:
LOOKING at the LIVES of many CHRISTIANS, SOCIAL MEDIA, etc. “CHRISTIANS” LIVING HOPELESS....
Need:
Need:
CHRIST-FOLLOWERS are to be PEOPLE of HOPE! And we are MANDATED by GOD to be ABLE to COMMUNICATE that HOPE to others!
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Text:
Text:
Thought 1: Suffering as a Christian
Thought 1: Suffering as a Christian
1 Peter 3:13–17 (ESV)
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.
Begins, PROVERB- GENERALLY TRUE, but not 100%
TRUE in a PERFECT WORLD…BUT OURS is stained with SIN.
Generally the case, but clearly exceptions… (v14)
"ZEALOUS” to do GOOD (followup from LAST WEEK) then life will be good…ish.
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PERSECUTION & TRIALS AREN’T CONSTANT…BUT they are INEVITABLE...
FOCUS should be on MAINTAINING FAITH,...NOT ESCAPING TRIAL...
SUFFERING for RIGHTEOUSNESS’ sake (Jesus tradition)...
This DOESN’T COUNT IF it’s the RESULT of your SIN or shortcoming!
IF you GENUINELY SUFFER for the sake of RIGHTEOUSNESS, you’ll be BLESSED/HAPPY!
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JOYFUL during trials....HARM ISN’T PERMANENT! (who is there to harm you)
As Christ-followers, no man can change our eternity
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
And this won’t even likely happen in America…but WORST-CASE SCENARIO you go to BE WITH JESUS, not a bad thing really!
(T) Now, after Peter introduces the idea of suffering for righteousness’ sake, he then explains what Christians should do when they find themselves in this predicament. Look at the second half of verse 14.
(T) Now, after Peter introduces the idea of suffering for righteousness’ sake, he then explains what Christians should do when they find themselves in this predicament. Look at the second half of verse 14.
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Thought 2: The Christian’s Mandate
Thought 2: The Christian’s Mandate
14b Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
Responses to trials/problem people:
**NOT GRUMBLING, not RESPONDING in KIND..
Have no fear
Set apart Christ in your hearts as holy
Have a defense for the reason of your hope.
**We are COMMANDED NOT to FEAR. Eesh! Not easy!
THERE IS a HEALTHY FEAR that KEEPS you ALIVE/RUN from DANGER…this isn’t sinful...
BEAR CAMPING STORY… “tough guys no longer tough”
“I’m not playing around, kill that bear right now”
“If making eye contact with that bear doesn’t put the fear of God in you, I don’t know what will”
FEAR = WISE…kept us alive.
They wanted to TEAM UP against BEAR, he was OUTNUMBERED…but FEAR & MY COUNSEL, allowed us to go on 2 MORE TRIPS afterwards
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Times JESUS & APOSTLES ESCAPED CROWDS to SAVE their LIVES! Some fear is healthy...
but no fear of man…FEAR of the LORD & TRUST in GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY should DISPLACE the FEAR of MAN & fear of what man can do to us.
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INSTEAD of FEAR,.... set apart/HONOR CHRIST the Lord in your HEARTS...
Word for sanctify
Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be your name”
= SPECIAL REVERENCE for CHRIST in your INNERMOST BEING!
Grudem: “To reverence Christ as Lord means really to believe that Christ, not one’s human opponents, is truly in control of events. To have such reverence in your hearts is to maintain continually a deep-seated inward confidence in Christ as reigning Lord and King.”
Satan needed God’s permission to go after Job...
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HONOR CHRIST…in your HEARTS…INNERMOST BEING, from which comes all things.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks...
Christ changing our inner dispositions from the inside out!
Reminder…FAITH TESTED = GENUINE…EASY to LOVE JESUS on GOOD DAYS!
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Major thrust of message: v15
ALWAYS being PREPARED to make a DEFENSE for the HOPE that it is IN YOU!
Tom Schreiner - PEOPLE ASKING about your HOPE..... =SEE YOUR HOPE!
Context: PERSECUTED for RIGHTEOUSNESS’ sake…in the midst of this, HAVING HOPE!
PEOPLE SEE- as Christians WE’RE DIFFERENT... Unwilling to compromise…etc.
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Give a DEFENSE for our HOPE!
BEGINS with our INDIVIDUAL SALVATION…
“How do you know you are right with God?”
What CHRIST ACCOMPLISHED for me @ CALVARY...
“my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood & righteousness!”
“MY HOPE” - not parent’s/friend’s hope
Your HOPE must be IN CHRIST & Christ ALONE,
in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS w/ NO CONFIDENCE in your GOOD WORKS
that you have RECEIVED his RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED to you THROUGH FAITH!
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2. HOPE built upon DEFENSIBILITY of CHRISTIAN FAITH.
**BELIEF in our SALVATION requires a BELIEF in the ONE to WHOM our SALVATION POINTS!
The CHRISTIAN LIFE REQUIRES FAITH…no one has video of Jesus exiting the tomb…yet it DOESN’T REQUIRE us to CHECK our BRAINS at the DOOR!
APOLOGETICS- branch of theology DEVOTED to DEFENDING FAITH!
What we believe happened, actually happened.
Scriptures reliably transmitted to us.
Creation
***Apologetics comes from APOLOGIA, GK word for “defense” in v15
PERSONAL READING: The Resurrection of the Son of God…largely an APOLOGETIC WORK. Physical & bodily resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ...
***NOT ALL here CALLED to be EVANGELISTS or APOLOGISTS…but should be able to give some sort of DEFENSE....BARE MINIMUM to KNOW GOSPEL well enough to share WHY YOU’RE SAVED!
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SHOULDN’T HAVE to BRING SOMEONE to CHURCH to HEAR GOOD NEWS...
KNOW YOU’LL HEAR IT HERE....
BUT, If you’re a CHRIST-FOLLOWER…ransomed…bought with his blood....you should BE ABLE to EXPLAIN this to SOMEONE else IF they ASK!
**FAITH comes through HEARING & HEARING entails COMPREHENDING!!
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MODERN CHURCH PROBLEM: believers don’t know reason for hope, CHURCH GEARED towards NONBELIEVERS…bring them to church to hear good news...
CHURCH = GATHERING of the REDEEMED.... UNBELIEVERS can be PRESENT & should be WELCOME…BUT THEY’RE NOT the FOCUS of a CHURCH service!
We don’t shut our doors to nonbelievers, but we shut our membership to nonbelievers!!
God’s desire is that everyday believers who aren’t evangelists, apologists, pastors, or bible scholars to know what they believe and to be able to communicate that with others when they are asked.
We are to be always ready to give an answer to anyone who might ask us.
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Defense w/ gentleness & respect.
**NOT RUDE, CONDESCENDING, or OVERPOWERING in debate.
CONVERSION is a WORK of the SPIRIT of GOD!!! WE CAN’T FORCE!
GOD MIGHT USE US, METHODS, ETC....BUT IT’S HIS WORK!
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DONE w/ RESPECT.
Respect - fear- GOD FEARING (Schreiner-subtheme in Peter)
CHRIST-FOLLOWERS conducting w/ GODLY FEAR…not fearing others, but fearing God.
REVERENTIAL FEAR- he’s in control…HE’S SOVEREIGN, we’ll have to GIVE ACCOUNT!
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(V16) GOOD CONSCIENCE
KNOWING we are RIGHT W/ GOD!
Grudem: It’s NOT SINLESS PERFECTION...., but AVOIDING CONSCIOUS, willful DISOBEDIENCE…and going to God in REPENTANCE when SIN is brought to our ATTENTION.
WHEN SLANDERED, Good behavior/CONDUCT SPEAKS a BETTER WORD!!
Another SUBTHEME in 1 Peter… (6x speaks to conduct)
CONDUCT w/ GODLY FEAR.....,
HOLY in all of our CONDUCT,
HONORABLE CONDUCT b4 nonbelievers!
CONDUCT PUTS TO SHAME those WHO SLANDER
On last day (Schreiner)
SOME NONBELIEVERS will GLORIFY GOD (CH. 2), because they CAME to FAITH in Christ.
OTHERS will be PUT TO SHAME/disappointed… (same phrase from ch. 2:6 when he said believers will never be put to shame/disappointed!!)
(T) Now, after Peter shares what we are to do as believers when suffering for righteousness’ sake, let’s see his closing remark on suffering in verse 17.
(T) Now, after Peter shares what we are to do as believers when suffering for righteousness’ sake, let’s see his closing remark on suffering in verse 17.
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Thought 3: Conclusion
Thought 3: Conclusion
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
Seems obvious, but needs stated.
STORY: “MAN who FELL into SIN”…JOB on the LINE…consequences.
GOD was MERCIFUL…but it would have been justified for him to lose job...
If we BRING TRIALS onto OURSELVES, NOTHING SPECIAL here!!
BUT sometimes SUFFERING = GOD’S WILL...
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
When suffering for righteousness’ sake, Christians are to maintain doing good and have a boldness to tell others about the hope they have in Christ in a gentle and God-fearing way.
And so,
Intention:
Intention:
Our response to God in worship this morning should be clearly establishing the reason for our hope in our hearts so that we can communicate it to others when the opportunity arises and then by living out this hope through a good life to the world around us.
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Takeaways:
Takeaways:
Sometimes we have to endure trials and persecution of various kinds in this life.
For righteousness sake? - blessed by God...
No trials take away inheritance!
None of us here today should have a fear of what others might do to us but should retain a healthy fear of God...
No man can change your eternal destination!
Last, we are to set Christ apart in our hearts and know how to defend the reason for our hope.
Prepared to answer for our reason of hope...
What a softball opportunity for evangelism!
Application:
Application:
FIRST NEED a REASON for HOPE…and IF NOT IN CHRIST…NO HOPE!
Put your FAITH in CHRIST, he died for you....
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But IF you are IN CHRIST, and you know YOU HAVE HOPE…you SHOULD KNOW WHY!
* KNOW enough of SCRIPTURE & GOSPEL MESSAGE to LEAD SOMEONE to FAITH W.O. BRINGING them to CHURCH...
ROMANS ROAD-VERSE REFERENCES MINIMUM...
Explain how righteousness of God imputed through faith.... (2 Cor. 5:21)
Mark Dever’s formula:
God— holy creator and just judge
Man —sinful and in need of savior
Christ— took our place & sin on Calvary
Response— faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, beginning new life by grace of God!
**Saved by faith alone, but true faith is never alone…beginning with repenting of sin, changing mind, and turning to Christ.
While there will not be an instant moment where someone is perfectly changed on the outside. There will always be fruit if a conversion is genuine.
And as believers, we should be able to walk someone along that path, even if it might be a bit bumpy, to faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Close in Prayer